It’s a quandary, going to a commercial-gallery show opening for the likes of Important Canadian Artist Attila Richard Lukacs. I’m a short person and this is a small art town, which means I end up confronting a lot of chests and backs in what is always a crush, because this is what is happening on this particular Thursday night so everyone is here. In a bigger city, the realtor-collectors, the minor-celebrity gallery owners and curators, the star-struck art students and miscellaneous pretties would be dispersed through the many openings, giving everybody a little more room to breathe it all in. But this is where Vancouver Celebrities columnist Mac Parry is. This is it. Pros of going on opening night: • being in the same room as the artist • party-charged energy • getting cleaned up • homebody-defying social occasion • Free wine Cons: • No chance to actually see the art due to chest/back views • Small talk, distracted by people-scanning • Zero chance of talking to the mobbed artist • Free wine That’s five pros to four cons, so I’m still up for facing the Vancouver gallery opening crush, but I’ve picked up a few tips for the under-tall and slightly claustrophobic: • Go early and leave early • Survey the scene from any available stairs or from the mezzanine level • Keep expectations for meaningful conversation low • Plan on a time to return to see the art • Have one — and only one — glass of social lubricant | Above: "On the Other Side of the Lotus, He Waits for Me," 2012, bitumen, polyurethane, enamel, traffic white oil on canvas, 75.75 x 71in (photo from Winsor Gallery) Below: Lukacs at work on his latest series. |